Life
by Jung-Hee
Summary: Formerly known as Perfect Downfall. Sakura gasped as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed. She didn't think it was possible to feel this much pain when giving birth. She was never going to judge those mothers who had screamed their heads off while going in labor. She sighed in relief when it was all over. "Sakura, breathe, because here comes another one!" Sakura's eyes widened.
1. Prologue revised

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.**

* * *

_**Perfect Downfall  
Prologue**_

_**...**_

Haruno Sakura crouched low to the ground as a group of ANBU passed by in a hurry. She made sure to mask her chakra, knowing that one slip and she'd be doomed. Without much warning her concentration was quickly melting away when a wave of nausea immediately churned through her. A hand immediately flew to her mouth as she gagged. Her eyes widened and hid deeper into the brush she was currently residing in. She made sure not to move when an ANBU member paused and turned around and another stopped a little ahead, wondering what his partner was up to.

"What is it?" The second one asked standing next to the first.

The first one scanned the area carefully, keeping his eyes and ears open. "I thought I heard something." He said seriously.

The second looked around skeptically, his eyes falling on the bush Sakura was currently hiding behind. She tensed prepping herself for a fight if they discovered her. She could take 'em. The two continued to look around but finally started to turn away. "Maybe it was just an animal." The second one said as he started to head back up to the trees.

The first one sighed and nodded as he followed the second. "Maybe you're right. I'm getting too old for this." And with that the two disappeared back into the trees, leaving Sakura behind in their wake. Her eyes scanned around for anymore signs of ANBU and then she tried to sense how far the two had gotten and made sure there was no other presence around before she decided to get up.

She sighed in relief when she sensed none. Standing back up she brushed the dirt and mudd off as best as she could. It was dark, and raining, and so far she hadn't thought of her plan as far as running away from the ANBU and Tracker Nins that were currently after her. She shook her head to get the water out of her eyes and stretched a little. Good thing she was perfect with her chakra control. Not anyone could hide from specialized black-ops. "Good thing I'm not just anyone." She muttered to herself with a confident smirk.

Blinking in surprise she shook her head once again and smacked her head. Now was not the time to get cocky. She was not out of the woods yet. Right now she had to worry about getting out of the Land of Fire before she ran into more trouble. The last thing she needed was some of the rookie-nine ending up finding her. And knowing Naruto that was bound to happen. She could bet the Sixth would send Neji-san and Shikamaru first. "I wouldn't expect anything less from that loud mouthed Baka." She muttered with a smirk and then she jumped to the trees and made her way to Takiagakure for the time being. Though she was definitely not going to the Ninja Village. That would just be stupid.

Besides it was temporary anyway and she wasn't going to waste her time staying there for the remainder of – Her thoughts were immediately cut off by another wave of nausea. This time she didn't hold back her gag reflex and finally relieved her stomach of its contents. She leaned against a tree as she wiped her mouth. "Geez, you'd think with all that I've been through you'd give mommy a break, hmm." She muttered as she rubbed her slightly protruding stomach. She sighed and smiled a melancholic smile. "You're lucky I'm not as heartless as most people who find out they're pregnant by the enemy." She said softly as she caressed her belly more.

"Though, and I'm not going to change my mind on this either, but when I see you're useless excuse of a father I'm going to murder him!" She hissed. "I'm not going to blame you sweetie. You're too innocent and it's not your fault. But until then, looks like it's just you and me." Making sure she was no longer about to hack up the rest of her guts she wiped the water from her face and raised her hood back up from when it had fallen. She jumped through the trees swiftly, not daring to stop until she was out of the Land of Fire, which she guessed wouldn't be for another hour or so. She'd been moving for hours now non-stop.

"You're lucky your Okaa-san is a ninja or we'd be in deep trouble babe." She said breathlessly as she continued to make her way through the trees. "We're gonna love our new home." She muttered flippantly. "Yep, we won't have to worry about anymore ninjas coming after us, or the Akatsuki, or Sasuke and his Orochimaru lackeys. Heck! We won't even have to worry about Naruto or the rest of Konoha, it's just going to be you and me. And a nice little civilian village. No one else." She said confidently as she picked up more speed.

She refused to show how much this was affecting her. It was her fault for letting it happen in the first place. _`Sakura, what have you gotten yourself into?' _She thought to herself tiredly. _`This wasn't how our life was supposed to turn out. __No. You just had to fall under temptation and let your hormones get the best of you.' _She hissed to herself mentally. "Going on that mission, was the worst thing I could probably ever have agreed to." She sighed as she slowed down to stop on a tree branch.

"Man!" She said, panting as she placed her hands on her waist and leaned forward out of breath. "Being pregnant sucks for my energy!" She gasped in exaggeration how could she be sweating in the middle of a thunderstorm? "Oh, my dear child, you are going to be the death of me." She breathed in and shook her head as she went back to leaping through the trees. _`Note to self: Never get pregnant again.'_

* * *

"Itachi, lets take a break, we've been going on for hours." Kisame sighed as he leaned against a tree tiredly.

Itachi hummed lowly and turned to his partner stoically. "Are you tired already Kisame-san? Your age seems to finally be catching up to you." He said with a cock of his head.

The ex-Mist nin growled darkly. _`Cocky little Uchiha brat!'_ Kisame muttered obscenities under his breath as he continued to follow along behind Itachi. This brat had been leading him on a wild goose chase for at least a week now. To be honest the Mist nin was beginning to the think the Uchiha didn't have the slightest clue to where he was going.

"Kisame..." Itachi said lowly as they both stopped. Kisame nodded at his partner as they both crouched to keep themselves hidden. "There's three off to the east and two to the south, seems like we got a hunt going on." He whispered.

Kisame nodded and watched as the ANBU under them continued to talk amongst themselves, not even noticing the two dangerous criminals from above. The shark-like Akatsuki member smirked darkly. "Good. I've been itching for a kill."

Itachi didn't seem to be bothered by Kisame's apparent blood lust, but held out his arm to silence the nin regardless, wanting to hear what the ANBU were talking about. Kisame seemed disgruntled by the arm that shot out to rudely silence him. His teeth were dying to sink into that puny arm covered by the traditional Akatsuki garb.

"I can't believe we lost her trail so fast!" Shouted a feminine voice in frustration. "We were just behind her!"

One ninja jumped at the loud voice and immediately slapped his hand over the females mouth. "Be quiet you idiot. We don't want the whole world to know we're out here."

The woman knocked his hand away. "I still can't believe Sakura-san would betray the village like that. She was such a renowned kunoichi. She had such potential." The woman clucked her teeth in disapproval. "And to think someone only at twenty could do so much and then throw it all away for one night of rutting between the sheets." She scoffed in annoyance.

This seemed to grab Itachi's attention.

"Hold your tongue! We don't know the full details. Who knows what could have happened to her." Another defended harshly.

The female threw her hands in the air. "Just like a male to immediately defend Haruno! Even when she's a traitor to the Nation and pregnant with the child of an S-Class criminal she's still got men falling at her feet."

Kisame and Itachi froze completely. Now _that _was interesting.

* * *

Sakura paused slightly and sneezed loudly. She sniffled and looked around in confusion. "Is someone talking about me?" She asked to no one. She shook her head. Of course people are talking about her, she got a bounty on her head as big as Naruto's and Sasuke's put together. Why should she be surprised. Shrugging it off she continued on her way. Not knowing what was in store for her.

* * *

**A/N: Well here's the revised prologue. I told you my muse was raring to go. I'll have more chapters put out as soon as I can. I'm really into this story so don't be surprised if you see another one up in a few days. This isn't beta'd but I did look over it, there might be some mistakes but I can't help it if I miss some things. Thanks for reading. Hoped you like! Thanks!**

**Jung-Hee**


	2. Chapter2 An End to a Beginning

**I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Except the baby. All credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

_**Perfect Downfall**_

_**Chapter.1**_

"_Sakura, here's the mission report, I need you to be on your best behavior, and try not to get yourself caught. If word gets out it'll be your head, understand?" Naruto said seriously as he handed the file over to the curious rosette._

_Sakura nodded her head stoically, moving the ANBU mask to the side of her head so she could read over the files contents. "S-Class solo mission, I see... Why is this so important?" She asked curiously. _

_Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. "It's just a recon-mission, you'll be undercover for the most part anyway. Itachi already knows who you are and I made sure he knew you were coming, but you're too important to be going out there alone. No matter how strong you are." _

_Sakura didn't seem to be relaxed. "Hokage-sama, I hope I'm not stepping out of line by asking this, but why is this necessary? I thought we were allies with the Uchiha?" _

_The Sixth Hokage groaned. "Sakura, how many times have I told you? Call me Naruto! And I know what you're thinking. It's not like that. We may have come to an agreement, but that doesn't stop me from wondering why he's still lurking the Countryside with that shark-face. I just want to know exactly what he's planning on doing." He said flippantly._

_Sakura didn't know what to make of this little bit of news. "What information am I supposed to be getting? Does Sasuke know you're doing this?" _

_Naruto waved his hand towards the file. "Everything you need to know is in there," sitting up straighter he gazed at Sakura intently. "I expect this mission to only last a week or I'm coming to find you myself."_

_Sakura nodded and placed the file under her arm as she reached to pull the mask back on, getter ready to leave to prepare. _

"_Sakura," Naruto said tensely._

_Said girl looked up to meet the reluctant eyes of one of her best friends. "Yes, Naruto?"_

_The blond swallowed. "I'm sorry I'm making you do this on your fist solo mission as an ANBU." He said honestly looking guilty._

_Sakura smiled and pulled the mask fully over her face. "Don't worry, Baka. I should take it as an honor. Besides, he won't kill me." She said turning to head out the door._

"_Sakura," Naruto called again. Sakura turned around slightly. Naruto looked dead serious. "Don't do anything stupid."_

_Sakura stiffened. "What makes you think I would?" She asked, glaring at her blond friend fiercely._

_He shook his head. "I know you Sakura, you're reckless and you think with you're fist and emotions before you do with tactician."_

_Sakura scoffed. "I could say the same about you."_

_Naruto grinned and rubbed his chin. "This is true. Just be careful." He sighed, waving her off as dismissal._

_Sakura blinked behind her mask and frowned. "Yes, Naruto." She bowed and then finally left the confines of the Hokage's office. Feeling slightly put off by his words._

* * *

Sakura sighed and leaned her head back against the tree at the memory. It seemed so long ago that she had that conversation with her beloved best friend. Now looking back on it, it seems he had seen this coming all along. Sakura didn't know whether to bark out a laugh or cry at the position she's put herself in. "What a joke," she said thickly, swallowing hard as the memories kept coming. Life really was unfair. "I did something stupid." She slammed her fist against the ground in anger, making the earth crack slightly from the force. "Why is it always the Uchihas?" She cut herself off immediately and slumped forward in agitation.

Being angry wasn't really making the circumstances any better. The reality of the situation was finally hitting her. When she ran away all she could think about was the safety of her life and that of her child's, because despite the Great Ninja War being put behind all of them, Kabuto was still out there and he was still persistent about having some Uchiha blood. Be it Sasuke's or Itachi's. And that night spent with Itachi for her only made things a lot worse considering there was another Uchiha on the way. This alone would cause Kabuto build another army and come after her. The village was just now starting to thrive after the damage had been caused. She couldn't put her people at risk.

With another sigh, the rosette played with the frays of grass and started to hum as her other hand rubbed absently against her stomach. She was probably about three months along now. She had known she was pregnant probably about three weeks after _that_ night_. _It had only taken her two months to figure out what she was going to do, and another month to actually get out of the village. But it only took three days for the entire village to find out what happened after she ran away. And to put it simply, Naruto was absolutely furious. Which would explain why he had some of his most strongest ninja coming after her.

"My life is never going to be normal!" She grouched in frustration, slamming her fist against the ground again, this time it cracking under her strength.

* * *

"So that's what happened to the little kunoichi. Itachi, you dirty dog you!" Kisame barked out a loud laugh as he smacked his knee. "This is too good." He chuckled, not in the least bit affected by the glare Itachi was shooting in his direction.

"Kisame." The Uchiha hissed in warning.

"Oh, come on! You gotta admit this is funny. The one time you finally decide to let yourself `go' you wind up knocking someone up. Haven't you ever heard of –"

"Kisame, I'm warning you. Shut. _Up._" Itachi growled darkly.

Kisame sighed and held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. So," he started conversationally. "We gonna go after the broad or what?"

"Hn." The Uchiha grunted.

"Oh, come on, are we seriously back to that?" He shouted as Itachi started to leap through the trees faster. Kisame grunted as he picked up the pace to keep up with the young man. "You know I think we should just go after her. It'll be better for you if you do. She's a feisty thing, and she ran away. You know, being as what she did with you; she's bound to wind herself into more trouble." He said this as if he was talking about the weather.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "Kabuto won't touch her. At least, not until it's born..."

Kisame seemed to ponder this for a moment. "So... You're going to wait until after it's born? Won't that be kind of a hindrance? I mean, knowing Kabuto he'll just kidnap her, keep her till the runt's born and then do away with her once he's got what he needs. Though, I doubt an infant will be much use to him..." Kisame sighed and rubbed his temples.

Itachi shook his head, to be honest he didn't really know what to do himself. Since the war had ended with much success, even if Kabuto managed to escape practically unscathed, with Madara gone it made things a lot easier to handle. Though Kabuto was still bent on getting an Uchiha be it Sasuke or Itachi, and now that there was an heir to the Uchiha Clan in the mix Kabuto was most likely going to do everything in his power to get a hold of it.

The night he had spent with the young kunoichi was, as hard as it was for him to say, something he couldn't remember. He had been clearly inebriated, as was she, and they had come to some common ground years ago after the war. They had spent hours staying up talking (mostly her) and drinking (both) until somehow or someway they had ended up back at her hotel and they were kissing... And then things went from there.

"Can't we ever catch a break? I mean, what's it been, five years since the Fourth Ninja War? I mean, sadly, we're not bad guys anymore... well, you aren't. But I'd still like to go one day without having to high-speed my tail through the trees just to get to one destination! I'll kill that pinky!" Kisame growled.

Itachi paused. "Weren't just saying how we should go after her?"

Kisame blanched slightly. "I only said that for your benefit. I mean, don't ya wanna see how the brat's doing? Don't you like her or something? When you were younger you'd practically throw yourself out a window any time a woman came on to you. She must mean something or you wouldn't be in this situation."

Itachi inhaled deeply. Why was Kisame so adamant on going after Sakura? "If I agree to go get her, will you shut up?"

Kisame smirked in victory. "Yes."

With that the two made their way off in the direction where they knew the rosette would be heading, which would be the direction opposite of them. If they knew the kunoichi at all, it would be that she'd go to the ends of the earth to make sure she was far away from anyone who knew of her or her history. Which meant she'd be heading as far away from Konoha as physically possible.

Kisame figured in the long run this would be good for Itachi, whether or not the Uchiha wanted to admit it. It wasn't like he cared or anything. He just had deep respect for Itachi and he knew the Uchiha had been through a lot and he knew the rosette held some important part in the male's life. They weren't on the run anymore and they had put the Akatsuki behind them... Well, as much as they could. They were still wearing the robes. And they were only killing people who had a bounty on them.

* * *

Sakura collapsed gratefully into the comfortable bed. She was finally far enough away from the Fire Country. She even managed to find a decent inn. Life was grand. She yawned loudly, debating on whether she should relax in the hot springs or take a nice, long much needed nap. She ran a hand through her hair and squirmed in discomfort at the feel of it. Ew, she felt gross. With a roll of her eyes she gathered up her bag and made her way to the door. She guessed she could get a good nap in while she was soaking in the springs.

…

Walking into her room, Sakura dried her hair with a towel absently, her eyes closed and her guard down as her mind wandered off. She was thinking about her expenses. So far she was doing fine. But once she managed to get to where she was going she'd have to put her healing abilities to good use and maybe become a local doctor so she can support herself and her child. Her brow furrowed, though that would be a little dangerous considering her chakra signature... Maybe she'd have to hold off on using her quick healing techniques and just be a "regular" doctor. She scoffed to herself. How boring.

Another thing was what was she going to do about her hair? She was all over the bingo books and it was the one thing that identified her. Before, it had been a trademark, now it was a danger.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she finally opened up her eyes and realized two things. One, a very familiar figure was casually resting on her bed with his shoe clad feet propped up against her wall, and the second was that chakra enhanced fist she had been prepping herself to use was immediately held behind her back by a _very_ familiar presence. She blew the loose strands of wet hair out of her eyes and glared daggers at the man lying on her bed. "Kisame, you walking sea urchin, get your feet _off _my bed."

"Now, now, now is that anyway to treat a friend?" The Mist-nin smirked at the menacing growl he got in reply. He sat up and did as the hormonal female said. "Fine, see, they're off."

Sakura frowned and tensed when she still realized Itachi was still holding her arm in a tight hold. "You can let me go now!" She hissed.

Itachi seemed to pause for a moment but then let her go, but didn't move from where he was standing. It had been a while since he'd last seen her and her appearance and changed drastically. It amazed him how attracted he still was to this brash kunoichi.

Sakura growled and turned around to face the elder Uchiha. "What do you think you're doing, Itachi?" She asked through clenched teeth, trying, but failing to take much needed steps back. Kisame had other plans as he stood behind her and grabbed at her arms. He knew how tactical she was, plus she was very abrasive; he figured that given the chance she'd jump out the window. "Let go." She barked at Kisame as she turned her head to glare at him.

"No."

Sakura had had enough. "I said get off!"

Kisame laughed, pressing his hand against her clavicle and shoving her, none too gently, on to the rather solid mattress. "My, my haven't you gotten a little testy?" he made his way over to the door and opened it. Before he stepped out he glanced back to smirk at the two. "Play nice, now. I'll be back in an hour."

Sakura growled, not impressed in the least, especially when Kisame unceremoniously pushed her down on her bed. She whipped her head around and said something and made an obscene gesture, making Kisame laugh as he slammed the door shut. "I'm pregnant, you jerk!" She seethed, rising only to be shoved back down, but this time by Itachi as he held a firm grip on to her shoulder.

Sakura fumed silently as she just sat there, not even gracing Itachi with a glance. She hated this man. He ruined her life. What the heck was he doing there anyway?

_**`Cha! Don't fall for those endless pools of onyx eyes ever again! We know his games now!'**_ Inner Sakura said with determination.

"Sakura," he said, noting how she was ignoring him. He narrowed his eyes as she blatantly refused to acknowledge him. With a speed that was unmatched by many; he snatched at her chin and forced her to look at him. "don't make this any harder than it has to be." He said monotonously.

The rosette furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth as she tried to remove herself from his grip, but he had a firm hold on her and all the struggling was just making her jaw bruise. So, with some difficulty, she spat, "What do you want, Uchiha?"

All he did was look at her as she glared right back, not afraid in the least to look right into the Sharingan. He was not one for torturing women, at least ones that didn't deserve it, even if they were pissing him off. "So much hostility, young kunoichi."

She hissed like a cat as she bared her teeth. If she had fur, they'd be standing on end. "For someone who finds me so young, you didn't seem to have problems with my age three months ago." She smirked with an arched brow, thinking she finally got one up on him.

But Itachi wasn't a Uchiha for a reason. "You're right," He agreed with a nod, and then suddenly he was leaning over her, both his hands planted firmly on each side and his nose nearly touching hers. "I don't care how young or old you are, nor could I care less about what we did," he ignored the way she flinched at his harsh tone. "all I care about, is whether or not your stupidity is risking the life of my unborn child."

Without preamble, Sakura lunged, a battle cry escaping her lips as she tackled the Uchiha to the floor and wrapping her deadly hands around his neck, knowing full well that he could take her without batting an eyelash. She seemed to get even more pissed. He was just humoring her. She was bent over his form, her legs bent and her feet firmly placed on each side of his hips. She wouldn't dare sit on him. Her green eyes seemed to darken as they alighted with fire and an anger so inhibited that it took all of her mental capabilities to not snap his neck in two. _"What right do you have to even mention MY child?"_

She was okay with him mentioning anything about her, but just the thought of him even thinking about her baby made her want to punch something into the next nation!

Itachi's eyes flashed dangerously and he couldn't stop his Sharingan from spinning menacingly. "_Your_ child?" He asked darkly.

Sakura smirked down at him. She was an ANBU for a reason, nor was she one of Konoha's elite for nothing. She wasn't afraid, neither was she the same weak twelve year old she was so many years ago. One night she may have let herself have one thing, but that had been under the influence of extreme amounts of alcohol that would have poisoned a civilian. But she wasn't going to let this, she eyed him, criminal that barely escaped the penalty of death by a hair, have anything to do with the future of her child.

"Yes," she said as if an intimate whisper, but was actually, her voice lowering to one of a promise of a slow and painful death. "my child." She grinned down at the Uchiha with contempt. "You don't have rights to anything I decide to do with my baby. You're nothing but a donor."

Itachi was known for being calm, cool and collected. But right now, as he heard the pink haired girl's words, he couldn't stop himself from slamming her petite body on to the ground and he rounded his deadly eyes on hers, and before he could realize what he was doing. He was already putting her through a seventy-two hour amount of endless torture. He didn't think he'd ever forget her horrific scream.

* * *

The last thing Kisame expected to see when he returned, was an hysterical Sakura curled in on herself in a corner sobbing her heart out as she gripped her head as if she was in the most unimaginable pain ever. He scanned the room, nothing was amiss, save for the girl, and Itachi, sitting on his knees on the other side of the room, not taking his eyes off the girl. And that's when the ex-Mist-nin noticed that for the first time ever; Itachi had his Sharingan off.

"What happened?" He asked Itachi, in the corner of his eye he noted the way the young girl flinched as she seemed to sink further against the wall. He'd never thought he'd see the day when Uchiha Itachi would look vulnerable. But right now, he saw the desperation of a man who seemed as if he went through one of the worst tragedies in his life. Not even at thirteen, after the brutal massacre, had he seen the male look like that.

Itachi opened his mouth, just slightly, as if to say something, but in all actuality he was just trying to get oxygen through his lungs so he could breathe. He never took his dark eyes off the girl.

Kisame wasn't one of Akatsuki's best members for no reason, he had been paired with Itachi just for the simple fact he didn't have to have communication with the male to know what was going on. That's why they worked so well as partners. They just knew each other like that. So, it hadn't taken but five seconds for everything to all come into place and that's when he rounded over to the young girl and asked the one question Itachi was having so much trouble uttering. "Is it okay?"

He looked her over, knowing very well the state she was in was one of great fragility, and he could guess she was awake on nothing but pure instinct alone. One wrong move and he'd be out like a light. It was not smart to mess with an elite when they weren't stable. "Sakura," he hissed, holding himself back from shaking her like a rag doll. That was the first time he'd ever said her name. It was probably the last, too. "answer me!"

Sakura could only manage a nod before she went back in on herself and nearly pulled out her hair from her scalp. Her green eyes were wide, and empty, there were tear tracks but the salty saline was gone, left only deep, inhibited misery and fear.

It had been a long time since he'd felt remorse at seeing a look like that. He'd grown quite accustomed to those looks when spending all his time with Itachi. But now, it just made him want to throw up. He couldn't fathom why he cared though.

It was probably for the same reason why Itachi looked like he'd commit suicide in minutes.

With delicacy he didn't know he had; he reached out tentative hands and picked the girl up. She just dangled limply in his arms, the strain from the stress finally knocked her out and he turned towards Itachi. "We have to get her to a doctor. The stress isn't good for..." He trailed off awkwardly. He hated being so sentimental. "Her condition." He finished.

Itachi just continued to stare at the girl, only managing a small, barely perceptible nod before he stood and started to walk towards the door. Kisame stepped right in front of the Uchiha, stopping him from walking out. "Oh, hell no, you take her! I've had enough of this," he dumped her into the unsuspecting male's arms and circled his arm around motioning to all of them. "whatever it is, for one day! She's your responsibility..." He took a deep breath. "At least while she's unconscious you can make yourself useful." And with that he walked out, letting the Uchiha follow as he searched his mind for any private doctors in the vicinity.

* * *

"My goodness, what in blazes happened to this poor child?" An older woman asked, her wrinkly hands pressed firmly against Sakura's temples as she concentrated her chakra into the young girl's bloodstream. "Her other personality is practically building walls, upon walls of chakra around her brain. As if protecting her... Uchiha-san, did you use your Mangekyou Sharingan on this girl?"

Kisame held up a hand quickly, looking confused. "Wait, wait, turn back- Did you just say "other personality"?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, but it's different now... Oh, dear, the poor thing. She's really shaken up, but other than that she's perfectly healthy. She's been taking care of the fetus as well. Which is to be expected from such a renowned woman. I still can't believe this is the actual Haruno Sakura." She shook her head, her wrinkled eyes crinkling with mirth. "I've met a celebrity. Now, all we need to do is wake her up, it'll just be a moment." With that, she placed a glowing green hand over Sakura's eyes, and the next moment the young girl was gasping as she blinked her eyes open blearily.

It didn't take much time for the rosette to get her bearings back, though she was confused seeing the older woman, but wasn't able to question it before her eyes were on Itachi and she looked at him with so much betrayal that it was even difficult for Kisame to look at.

Itachi stepped forward slightly, stopping immediately at the sight of her tense her shoulders as if in defense and he said her name, quietly. "Sakura-"

"Don't," she growled, holding up her hand and the other raised to grasp the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "just don't." She sounded defeated as she turned her attention away from the Uchiha and smiled at the elder woman gratefully. "Thank you. I know you pushed a lot of things away for me. You are definitely someone to be revered."

The woman laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, my what a sweet youngin'. Thank you as well, it was an honor." She bowed her head.

Sakura smiled and did likewise, only to stand a moment later with an unemotional expression, and storm passed the two criminals, ex-criminals, bounty hunters- whatever!

For once in all his twenty-eight years of life, Itachi didn't know what to do. He was never one to associate with the opposite sex, being he had more important things to worry about. But after the war all of that changed, but Sakura had been the only one. And now he wished he had listened more to his mother when she explained the meaning behind girls and their reasoning. He knew she had every right to hate him, but he wasn't going to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness, nor was he going to apologize. She stepped out of line.

Before he could blink, Sakura had stopped and he bumped into her harshly, cursing himself for being so distracted and for his poor eyesight. She had done it so suddenly he didn't even have time to notice, before the sound of sharp smack resounded in the area. Sakura's hand was suspended in mid-air and Itachi's head was cocked to the side. Kisame was standing a few feet behind them, looking wide eyed and a little put off.

Itachi felt the blood at the corner of his mouth but made no move to wipe it. He just turned his eyes back on the spit fire of a kunoichi and said, "I deserved that."

Sakura seethed and stepped closer. "You deserve a lot more than that."

The Uchiha sighed and slowly, cautiously placed his hands on her arms, ignoring how she flinched and jerked away, but stood stock still. He furrowed his brows; she was afraid of him. "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered.

Kisame cleared his throat and didn't bother telling them he was leaving, just disappeared, feeling like it'd be best to leave them alone.

Sakura sighed and forced herself to relax, stopping herself from shaking as he stood even more closer. She took a deep breath when she felt his mouth press against her forehead, not in a kiss, but just skin on skin contact.

"It was never my attention to harm you when I came to the hotel yesterday. I had come across Konoha ANBU looking for you, there was one mouthy one who had said you were pregnant and had run away from your home, without permission." He said against her temple and moved his hands up to cup her face and he nearly slumped in relief when he felt her relax into him. "I was your first, and I did the math. That was very foolish of you to leave."

Sakura tensed, but not because Itachi was touching her. She grumbled and burrowed herself into his chest, feeling rather hormonal and needy of any type of affection. Deep down, she was still bitter and angry about what he did to her, but her pregnancy was making her change moods faster than she could keep up with and she couldn't help but feel comforted by his presence. "What else was I supposed to do? Sasuke was mad enough when you refused to return home, and I could only imagine how much more so he'd be when he found out you knocked me up."

Itachi furrowed his brow. "Don't talk like that."

Sakura smirked in amusement. "To crude for ya, Uchiha?"

The elder Uchiha sighed and took her wrist in his hand and led her to a small bench located at the side of the house. "About what happened- It was never my intention to use-"

Sakura held up her hand and placed over Itachi's mouth, thus silencing any more words to come. "Itachi-san," she ignored the way his brow arched up at her choice of formality, obviously, due to their history he didn't feel for there to be any need of that. "don't, please." She sighed and removed her hand to place it over the other on her lap. "I don't- won't forgive you for what you did," she shook her head and looked at him. "no matter what I said, you had no right to do that to me... You let it happen. You tortured me."

Itachi looked away.

Sakura bit her lip and took his chin and turned him to face her and kissed the side of his mouth and she felt him turn just slightly to press his lips to hers. She exhaled and let him kiss her before she pulled away after a moment later. "Let me get through this pregnancy on my own. By myself." She felt him tense under her hands and she reached around his neck to pull him close and she pressed her forehead against his. "When it's born you can be there. So you can protect him or her like you want to. You have my word."

Despite the fact that they never had a relationship. The apparent attraction was there, and they knew it since that fateful day so long ago that started it all. That's why between them both it was so hard to keep away, even though what they were doing was causing more damage than good.

"We can't do this," she whispered and pulled away. "you know what could happen." She looked down at her barely there bump and placed her hand gently and unconsciously started to rub her hand around in circles. "It's too dangerous. I can't let anything happen to it. I wouldn't ever be able to forgive myself. Kabuto is out there, and he'd do anything to have the baby. Your baby. That's why I left Konoha."

He noted how she finally acknowledged the fact he was the father. "Your loyalty to your village is astounding." He said dryly, pushing her hand away and replacing it with his own, sending his chakra through her system to feel a connection with the child. He could feel the steady heartbeat through his fingers and it made them tingle as the child's chakra responded delightfully to his.

Sakura smiled slightly when she felt the familiar flutter of her baby's chakra swallow her womb as it kept contact to it's father. She had spent every night doing what Itachi was doing now. It was something ninja had the privilege of that civilian's didn't. Ninja could interact more with the fetus due to it's chakra. And the fact that it was responding so strongly proved that if Kabuto ever found her and took the baby; he would not be disappointed.

"It's a—"

Sakura slapped her hand over his mouth and her eyes sparked. "Don't, I've been avoiding it's sex since I found out. I want to be surprised!" She exclaimed, feeling bashful as he looked at her, apparently he wasn't taking to kindly to the fact that she kept putting her hand over his face. "Sorry. I just knew you were getting to that."

Itachi chuckled and shook his head. "I was actually going to say it's a _healthy _little one. I may be a powerful ninja but I'm not the best when it comes to medicinal techniques."

Sakura gaped and she nearly laughed at his bemused expression. "You actually admitted to a weakness."

"I'm only human Sakura." He stated. "Make no mistake, though, of my capabilities."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Uchiha's were all the same. "I know what you're capable of." She said, raising herself, his hand falling away as she did so, she stumbled slightly when she felt the disconnection from his chakra and her baby's jolt of apparent displeasure. She grasped her stomach and felt Itachi wrap his arms around her as she tried to steady herself. "Whoa," she muttered, raising a hand to her stomach. "that's never happened before." She muttered.

Itachi, in the only way she could guess, looked worried as he stood next to her. Well, as worried as a blank expression could get. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, really." She smiled reassuringly. "The baby just likes kicking my abdomen like it's a fighting post." She laughed at her joke.

"It's developing rather fast... You're a lot bigger than I expected you to be." As soon as the words left his mouth he tried really hard not to let his distress show on the outside. Because he knew that that was the last thing you should ever say to a pregnant woman. Even if you didn't mean it the way it sounded.

Sakura growled and crossed her arms over her chest, only to remove them quickly when she felt how sore it was. "Are you calling me fat?"

Itachi closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "No, that's not what I meant. You know that."

The rosette grumbled and resisted him as he pulled her towards his body, but relented when she felt him rub her lower back. Like he just _knew _that's where she was having most of her pain. Being pregnant was a tiring thing. She felt his breath ghost over her neck as she was pulled into his arms and she hummed low in her throat. She really needed to learn restraint.

"You're beautiful." He stated, his dark eyes bore into her as she looked up at him and he was suddenly so much closer than he had been.

She inhaled as he pressed his lips to hers and she knew that this was probably going to be the last she'd see of him in a long time. He was giving her what she wanted, which was the space she needed to grow in her pregnancy. Itachi knew what she had said previously was true; he would be risking her and the baby's safety if he were to remain in her presence.

Konoha would keep things secret, hopefully that big mouthed ANBU would die before she spilled Sakura's pregnancy all over the entire ninja nation. Kabuto wouldn't find out unless the spies he had keeping tabs on Itachi slipped away undetected.

Itachi would die before he let that happen. When he pulled away and she opened her eyes. He was gone.

* * *

**A/N; So, my hiatus is going to disappear. And this is a completely different outcome to the last revision. I know this will help me with my writers block. My muse has returned, so please don't give up on me. And check out my other stories too!**


End file.
